Handprint On My Heart
by Snows Of Yester-Year
Summary: Three times that Aang's children cried, and one time that they didn't.
1. At Its Appointed Hour

_Three times Aang's children cried - _

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**i. when he felt like a failure**

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"Stay light on your feet, Tenzin!"

The boy's face screwed up in concentration as he tried the move again. He had been working at this all day, but he still couldn't get it right. Something about the arm movement in conjunction with what he was doing with his legs was throwing him off, and badly. Taking a deep breath, he jumped, twisted in midair, brought his arms around - and fell flat on the ground. Again.

The gravel ground into the palms of his hands as he skidded to a halt. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead against the ground, wordlessly berating himself as he lay there uselessly. His father called out his name, concern lacing his voice, and Tenzin heard his pounding footsteps as he ran over to where he was, stumbling to an uncharacteristically ungraceful halt and falling to his knees in front of his son.

"Tenzin," Aang said again, and he suddenly felt his hands on his shoulders, gripping the burnt orange of his tunic and gently lifting him upright. "Tenzin, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Tenzin said softly, staring at his bloody hands, at the grass poking through the flagstones, at a line of ants marching along a few feet away - anywhere but his father's doubtlessly disappointed face.

Aang's palms fell away from his shoulders only to scoop up Tenzin's battered hands, carefully turning them over so he could inspect the damage.

"It's not so bad," he said. "Nothing your mother can't heal up in a second."

Tenzin nodded dutifully. He couldn't answer for the lump in his throat, his mind racing as he went through the move again - where had he gone wrong? He didn't think he was getting the leg movement wrong, but maybe if he just -

"Come on," Aang said softly, tugging at his son's hands and pulling him to his feet. "Let's get you cleaned up. It's going to be time for dinner soon, anyway."

He blinked up at his dad in silent shock. "But...I haven't...I haven't mastered the move yet, I can't just..."

Aang shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "Don't worry about it. You can work on it more tomorrow." He draped his arm around Tenzin's shoulders, leading him back to the house. Tenzin dutifully walked alongside his father in glum silence. It was such a simple move, one that Aang had demonstrated flawlessly this morning, but it just wouldn't _click_. He was a _failure_. If he couldn't manage this one simple Airbending move, how would he ever become a master? He had a duty to his father, to his nation, and to the world, but he might not ever fulfill it at the rate he was going.

Tenzin felt and probably looked on the verge of tears when they entered the kitchen. His mother looked up from the sink where she was chopping some carrots and drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh, _no_. Are you all right?"

"He's just a bit scratched up," Aang explained gently when Tenzin failed to offer his mother an explanation. "He took a bit of a tumble."

She turned his hands over in hers, sighing heavily. "You should be more careful," she admonished, ushering him over to the sink to wash away the dirt and gravel still in his miniscule cuts before she bended some water around her hands to heal him. The water was cool and soothing against his skin, and he couldn't hold back a sigh of relief when the aching and burning stopped.

"Sweetie," his mom said over his shoulder to Aang, "can you call Bumi in, please? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes and it's his turn to set the table."

Aang murmured his assent and swept out of the room. Tenzin's older brother entered a few minutes later, looking rather disgruntled that he had been interrupted.

"I was working on target practice, Mom," he complained as he gathered up enough chopsticks for the family's dinner. Uncle Zuko and Aunt Mai had given him a set of throwing knives for his birthday three weeks ago, much to Katara's mild dismay and concern for the state of his bedroom walls, and had spent almost every spare minute trying to perfect his aim.

"You can continue after we eat," she said crisply, stirring the pot that was on the stove. "Your target isn't going to get up and walk off."

Bumi shot Tenzin a glance, raising an inquiring eyebrow. "Why're you in here? I thought you were going to be practicing Airbending until dinner started."

"He and your father decided to stop early today," Katara said, shooting Bumi a warning look. "Leave your brother alone."

Bumi ignored her, shooting Tenzin a smirk. "Can't handle the heat, bro?"

"Shut up," Tenzin muttered, staring hard at the tiles on the floor.

"Aw, don't worry," he chided, setting a stack of bowls on the counter with a clatter. "You'll probably get it by the time you're Gramp's age...if you're lucky."

"What did I say, Bumi?" their mother said firmly, pausing to turn and glare at her oldest son.

"Sorry," he muttered, although the look he shot Tenzin before he carried his stack of dishes towards the dining room revealed that he wasn't the slightest bit contrite. Tenzin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window and away from his brother. This was revenge against Tenzin for telling their parents that Bumi snuck into a bar with his friends last week and he knew it, but that didn't make the teasing any easier to endure.

"Call your sister and father in," she said to him after a moment, taking the pot off of the stove. "Dinner's ready."

Tenzin nodded and ducked out of the doorway in search of Aang and Kya. He found them sitting in the courtyard, Aang grinning mirthfully and using Airbending to keep a fist-sized rock aloft as Momo chased it around while Kya laughed.

Tenzin cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "Dinner's ready."

"Great, I'm starving!" Kya exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "What did Mom make?"

"Um, stewed sea prunes, I think."

She pulled a nasty face. "Ew."

"And stir fry," he added quickly. "And...some rice."

She paused and sighed, shrugging. "Could be worse."

She brushed past Tenzin without another word, leaving the boy to hover uncertainly in the courtyard, staring at the discarded rock that Aang had been playing with, his mind once again churning with the troublesome Airbending form. Maybe the problem wasn't his stance. Maybe the problem was the way he was moving his arms. Perhaps if he just -

"Tenzin?"

He jumped and turned to see his father standing a few feet away, watching him expectantly.

"I'm coming," he said dutifully, following Aang back inside.

Dinner passed mostly without incident, Bumi only throwing a single stewed prune at his sister and Kya only going off on him for about three minutes. When they were done and everything was cleaned up, Tenzin started off for the training area again, but Aang stopped him.

"You've trained enough for today," he said with a smile. "You'll wear yourself out if you're not careful. Just take it easy for the rest of the evening, all right?"

Tenzin ignored the lump in his throat and nodded dutifully. "Sure thing, Dad."

But he didn't take it easy. He couldn't. When he went back to his room, he pulled down one of the Airbending scrolls that Aang was letting him keep in his room and read some of what the old masters had to say about coordinating opposing leg and arm movements. He clenched his fists. What they would probably say if they could see him, the only person capable of carrying on the Airbender legacy and he couldn't even get a simple dual kick right.

When the characters on the page started to swim and blend together, he forced himself to put the scroll away, change out of his practice clothes, extinguish the lamp on his desk, and crawl into bed, hopeful that sleep would claim him. He wasn't so lucky. The form danced in his head. He could see how it was supposed to go, remembered his father executing it perfectly, pictured the conflicting movements in his mind's eye, until finally he couldn't just lay there anymore. He pushed himself upright, staring blearily through the hazy darkness of his room. He had to try again.

Not bothering to change out of his sleepwear, he crept through his silent home and slipped outside, taking a deep breath of the heavy summer air before stealing through the moonlight towards the training area.

He stood in starting position at one end of the training area, staring hard ahead, visualizing the move, focused, determined. He took the first step forward, brought his arms around, lunged...

...and fell over on his side.

He pushed himself up with a groan, rubbing the side of his face with a small frown before scrambling to his feet. Again.

Step, twist, and...

...fall.

He landed hard on his back and glared up at the starry night sky for a moment, wondering furiously why this move was so hard for him. He groaned loudly and Airbended himself to his feet, trying again. And again. And again.

With each attempt, his movements became jerkier, his bending more forced. His frustration was getting the better of him, but he didn't care. His determination surged forward, and he tried again. This time, though, his takeoff had too much force, and he went flying forward without meaning to, slamming into the hard ground. His head spun, and he pounded his fists against the ground with a yell of frustration.

"What is _wrong _with me?"

"Tenzin?"

He gasped, sitting bolt upright and whipping around to stare at the voice. It was Aang, standing a few feet away, surprise written on his face.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, kneeling to help his son to his feet. "It's late. You should be asleep."

"I was...just practicing..." Tenzin said softly, his cheeks burning with shame.

Aang gently dusted him off, his hands resting on his shoulders briefly. "I know this move is hard for you," he said, "but you'll get it."

Tenzin's bubbling frustration finally boiled over and burst from him in a shower of infuriated words before he had the chance to take them back.

"No," he snapped angrily, jerking away. "No, Dad, I won't! I've been working on this all day, but it still isn't making any sense! I just can't do it, okay?"

He crossed his arms protectively over his stomach and turned away from his father's shocked face, shoulders hunched in defeat. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm failing you, Dad. I'm never going to be as good of an Airbender as you." A few unbidden tears slid reluctantly from his eyes. "I'll never be a master."

A moment passed where the only sound was the wind that swept the harbor and the distant sounds of the city before Aang broke the silence.

"Tenzin," he said, his voice soft and unspeakably sad. He approached his son from behind and rested his shaking hands on the boy's shoulders.

He scrubbed the tears away surreptitiously. "I'm letting you down," he continued miserably. "I'm letting _our people_ down. I'm s-sorry, Dad. I know I'm not a very good Airbender, and I k-know I must be a d-d-disappointment, b-"

"Tenzin," Aang said again, cutting into his son's stammered apology, his voice firmer but breaking. He circled around to face the boy, bending low so that they were level, sad gray eyes staring directly into blue eyes swimming with unshed tears.

"If you really think," he whispered, "that I would think you a disappointment because of something like this..."

He paused, his face a mask of sadness.

"Then _I'm _the one who failed _you._"

Tenzin's breath caught, and finally, he started to cry, the cracking control he had on his emotions evaporating. Aang knelt the rest of the way, cradling his son's face in his hands and running his thumbs across his cheeks.

"I love you," Aang insisted softly. "I love you no matter how well you can bend. I'd love you if you weren't a bender at all. You've taken your studies very seriously, you've worked so hard, and I'm so, _so_ proud of everything you've done."

Tenzin choked out a sob and fell down against his father, burying his face in his neck and allowing himself to cry into his tunic. Aang held him close, rubbing his back reassuringly and murmuring words of comfort to him until he calmed down enough to go back to bed. He led Tenzin back to the boy's bedroom, tucking him into bed and lingering by his side for a moment, hand resting against his head.

"You get your rest, all right?" Aang said.

"Okay," Tenzin responded softly.

He smiled at his son, leaning down to brush a kiss against his forehead. "Goodnight, kiddo."

"Goodnight, Dad."


	2. Fitted To Bear

_**content warning: brief discussion of rape culture**_

Sorry for the delay.

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**ii. when she could feel her heart cracking**

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"You're home early."

Kya slid the door shut behind her and glanced up, ignoring how empty her heart felt. Her family sans her father was gathered in the sitting room, her mother doing some mending, Bumi in a corner sharpening his boomerang, and Tenzin poring over an old scroll again. She swallowed hard and glanced down

"I guess I am," she hedged, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it up on the wall by the door.

Something about her tone made her mother look up, her face breaking into a concerned frown. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said as she started towards the hallway, voice tight. "Just...tired."

Katara tilted her head and slowly set her mending to the side. "Well...did you have a nice date?"

Kya faltered to a halt in the doorway and leaned heavily on the doorframe, facing away from her family. "No," she said finally.

"Did Maru stand you up again?" Bumi asked in a bored voice, studying the business edge of his boomerang closely.

Her fist clenched on the doorframe.

"I broke up with him."

There was a ringing silence behind her, and she swallowed hard, trying not to cry.

"Oh, honey," Katara said softly after a moment. Kya heard her mother stand, and her spine grew stiff. "What happened? Did you-"

"Mom, stop," she cut in, her voice firmer than she felt. "Just don't worry about it, okay? It had to happen. I'm...I'm really tired. I'm going to go lay down."

She stole down the hallway towards her bedroom before anyone could stop her, throwing the door shut behind her. The force of her slamming it made it bounce off the frame, sliding back open a few inches. She let it stand ajar, too tired to care. Her window was open, allowing moonlight to spill across the floor. She thought about closing it to leave herself in complete darkness, but the thought of sealing away the comforting light of the moon was too much for her to bear, so she didn't. Without bothering to change, she fell into her bed with a soft groan, kicking her shoes off halfheartedly and pulling the blankets around her.

Clouds shrouded the sky, stealing away the beloved moon. A cool breeze slipped into her room. She smelled rain. She wished she could sleep, but her mind forced her to stay awake, churning furiously, repeating what happened again and again. She groaned loudly and pulled her covers over her head.

There was a hesitant knock at the door, and Bumi's voice drifted in. "Kya? Are you awake?"

She didn't say anything. The door slid open quietly, and she heard his footsteps approach slowly.

"Mom made tea," he said softly.

No answer. He hesitated for a moment, hovering near her bed.

"Do you want me to beat him up?"

She grinned in spite of herself.

"Because I can beat him up," he continued, punching his fisted right hand into the open palm of his left for emphasis. "No one is allowed to mess with my sister. How do you want me to do it? Bo staff? Boomerang? I mean you can beat him up, I know, you're a top-notch Waterbender and you have one hell of a right hook, but...we, uh...we can tag-team?"

After a moment, she said in a soft voice, "Come back to me when I'm not at risk for accidentally decapitating him."

He laughed. "Deal." He paused, watching her for a moment, before he spoke again, voice serious. "Really, though, Kya, just...forget about him. You're awesome, okay? Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. He's never going to get someone as good as you because they'll always realize he's a jerk and dump him."

After a moment, she turned to face him, holding out her fist. He bumped it with his, grinning sadly. "You gonna be okay, sis?"

She gave him a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Bumi."

He left and she turned back to face the wall, heart heavy, trying and failing to sleep. Outside, she heard rain fall. She thought she should get up and close her window, but she didn't want to move. Long, frustratingly sleepless minutes passed. She felt like this night would last forever.

Then, suddenly, a knock came from the door again, softer than Bumi's but somehow less tentative. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and pretended to sleep.

"Kya...?"

Her fist clenched, betraying her. It was Dad.

"Kya, is it okay if I come in?"

She thought about saying no, about insisting that she be left alone before curling up tighter into the cocoon of her blankets and shutting out the world, but she found herself nodding her affirmation. The door slid open and she heard him approach, dropping down on the edge of her bed and resting one hand against her shoulder.

"I guess Mom told you," she said after a moment of stretching silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't answer. He stroked her shoulder gently with his thumb and asked, "Did something happen that made you break up with him?"

She sighed heavily, pressing her face into her pillow. _Where to begin?_

"Well, he...got me a bracelet. And took me to Quong's."

Aang frowned lightly. "That was...bad?"

She sighed.

"We went back to his house."

"And?"

"And...nobody was home, so...we...started to..."

He paused for a moment before he let out a soft "ah".

"And I wanted to stop," she continued tumultuously, "but he didn't want to and he kept going and told me that since he got me dinner and the jewelry I owed him and-"

"Kya," he cut in firmly, and she turned to look at him, misery written clearly on her face. The anger in his eyes was palpable and made her glance away. "Did he-"

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head firmly and lifting her eyes to him again. "No, it's okay, Dad, I punched him in the solar plexus and froze him to the ceiling."

"Oh." His face relaxed slightly, relief at war with lingering anger. "Good. He had that coming."

She sighed, shifting onto her back and crossing her arms tight over her chest, pinning the blanket to her. "That was so dumb of me," she lamented softly.

"No, it wasn't," he asserted. "You're a capable fighter and you can obviously handle yourself. And it's not _your _fault that _he's _an awful person."

"But he's been pulling that kind of awful stuff for ages, Dad," she continued brokenly, staring up at him with shining eyes. "He's stood me up, he's been a complete jerk to Bumi and Tenzin, he's been bugging me for _ages _to sleep with him, I just-" she slammed her fist down on the bed next to her before pressing her hands to her eyes, tears suddenly welling up and spilling over.

"Hey, sh, sh, it's okay." Aang's hands found her shoulders, and she let him carefully pull her upright and fold her into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder, gasping sobs wracking her body. He gently stroked her hair, rocking her slowly.

"You just made a mistake," he said. "You're allowed to make mistakes, Kya, and you got out of the situation before it got too bad, that's what's important. And this wasn't something you should blame yourself for on any level. Maru was completely out of line and you shouldn't..." he trailed off and heaved a sigh, gathering his daughter closer. "I just don't want you beating yourself up over this. None of this is your fault, Kya. You're not responsible for other people's actions."

She sniffled and pulled away, scrubbing at her cheeks with the palm of her hand and giving her dad a miserable look. "Why do I miss him?" she asked tearfully. "I know he was awful, and I'm glad I broke up with him, but..."

"You had feelings for him," he said. "Those aren't going to vanish right away." He cupped her face gently with his hand, brushing away new tears as they fell. "It'll be fine, Kya. You'll find someone better for you. There's no rush."

She nodded once in understanding, sighing and falling back against him for another hug. "Thank you, Dad."


End file.
